Out of over 3,000 applications from over 130 countries (which is about 500 more than the previous year), and a rigorous judging process, 30 semifinalists emerged from 13 countries. These amazing change makers proceeded to the final round, which included a public voting process and a one-minute pitch video submission of their projects. We received 21,733 votes from around the world within a week. With a combination of the public voting process (which accounted for 20% of the judges’ decision) and the one-minute pitch, the three finalists were selected.
Every semifinalist was very impressive, and it was such a pleasure getting to learn about their amazing projects. However, we are unable to offer every semifinalist a share in the Savvy Prize as we could only select three finalists. The one-minute video pitches we received were extraordinary, and our team was astonished by the vital and inspired work every semifinalist was doing in their communities around the world. We are grateful to every semifinalist for the great work they’re doing, for sharing their vision with us, and for their interest in the 2023 Savvy Prize. For those who weren’t selected as one of the three finalists, we invite them to continue growing their project and applying next year.
Every applicant, including every semifinalist, was judged based on the following criteria:
- Innovative
- Community-based
- High potential for impact
- Sustainable
- Originality
